Need to know all about diabetes? This book tells all in easy to understand language. For several possible reasons, ranging from dietary trends to sedentary lifestyles, diabetes is becoming a more common affliction, as almost every person knows someone who has been diagnosed with the disease. There are several types of diabetes, with the most common ones known as Type I and Type II conveniently, and in order to manage the disease, it is imperative that a person knows the difference between the two. Type I used to be known as Juvenile Diabetes because it is an inborn metabolic error, with the patients born with the disease usually diagnosed during adolescence. It accounts for only 5% of all diabetic cases, and its management is different from the management of the other types of diabetes. Type II is the most common form of diabetes that is generally developed mid-life due to weight, activity or dietary issues, and it was known in the past as NIDDM, or Non Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus. Despite what type of diabetes a person has, current medical and nutritional knowledge allows the diabetic to take control of his or her health by following the recent guidelines for diet and exercise.
Unlike many diseases that rely mainly upon pharmaceuticals prescribed and regulated by physicians, diabetes is reliant on nutritional intake and exercise, regulated by the patient. Thus, a person with diabetes can take charge of his or her body and follow nutritional guidelines, making diabetes a disease that can be controlled by the patient instead of the patient being controlled by the disease.
Some dietary guidelines assembled for diabetics are confusing and make the dietary restrictions of diabetes seem unmanageable, if not impossible. Fortunately, nutritional guidelines for diabetes are quite easy to follow when put together in an order that makes sense and gives the patient palatable choices for meals, as well as a feeling of control over all aspects of their life, not just their diet. Guidelines that focus on what can be included in a diet, rather than focus on what cannot be, make the lifestyle changes that are required to control diabetes manageable instead of restrictive and impossible. Also, a sample menu is included that encompasses an entire week’s worth of meals and snacks, showing that nutrient rich foods, low in sugar can be both delicious and diabetic-friendly. Of course, menus listing tasty items are nice to look at, but not much use without the recipes, so the recipes are also included with the menus. Having the recipes enables the patient to see what ingredients comprise the dishes, and gives them a template from which to make their own, personalized menu. The recipes are also necessary to figure out the nutritional content of the meals, since a careful account of dietary intake is the key to managing and controlling diabetes. Lastly, in order to keep a diet under control and easy to handle, accurate food records need to be kept. Such food records, or daily food journals, are easiest when kept in a sensible, organized chart with the nutrients tallied daily and weekly, along with consistent records of blood sugar levels. Over time, such careful journals will help discern what foods, types of exercise or medications are most useful to manage one’s diabetes since every person’s metabolism is unique and will respond differently to certain foods.
Many times, information that is helpful to people who have been diagnosed with diabetes is a bit convoluted because the information is spread among different pamphlets, websites and books. This book explains the two most common forms of diabetes, with an overview of how Type I and Type II work, as well as detailing the symptoms, and explaining the idea of diabetic food exchanges, which makes management of the disease a little easier with all pertinent information being found in one place.
Unlike many diseases that rely mainly upon pharmaceuticals prescribed and regulated by physicians, diabetes is reliant on nutritional intake and exercise, regulated by the patient. Thus, a person with diabetes can take charge of his or her body and follow nutritional guidelines, making diabetes a disease that can be controlled by the patient instead of the patient being controlled by the disease.
Some dietary guidelines assembled for diabetics are confusing and make the dietary restrictions of diabetes seem unmanageable, if not impossible. Fortunately, nutritional guidelines for diabetes are quite easy to follow when put together in an order that makes sense and gives the patient palatable choices for meals, as well as a feeling of control over all aspects of their life, not just their diet. Guidelines that focus on what can be included in a diet, rather than focus on what cannot be, make the lifestyle changes that are required to control diabetes manageable instead of restrictive and impossible. Also, a sample menu is included that encompasses an entire week’s worth of meals and snacks, showing that nutrient rich foods, low in sugar can be both delicious and diabetic-friendly. Of course, menus listing tasty items are nice to look at, but not much use without the recipes, so the recipes are also included with the menus. Having the recipes enables the patient to see what ingredients comprise the dishes, and gives them a template from which to make their own, personalized menu. The recipes are also necessary to figure out the nutritional content of the meals, since a careful account of dietary intake is the key to managing and controlling diabetes. Lastly, in order to keep a diet under control and easy to handle, accurate food records need to be kept. Such food records, or daily food journals, are easiest when kept in a sensible, organized chart with the nutrients tallied daily and weekly, along with consistent records of blood sugar levels. Over time, such careful journals will help discern what foods, types of exercise or medications are most useful to manage one’s diabetes since every person’s metabolism is unique and will respond differently to certain foods.
Many times, information that is helpful to people who have been diagnosed with diabetes is a bit convoluted because the information is spread among different pamphlets, websites and books. This book explains the two most common forms of diabetes, with an overview of how Type I and Type II work, as well as detailing the symptoms, and explaining the idea of diabetic food exchanges, which makes management of the disease a little easier with all pertinent information being found in one place.
